Cleaning Up
by locofiend13
Summary: This is the sequel to Some Old Habits Die Hard. It takes place 6 months after SOHDH. NEW CHAPTER! Please for the love of all things holy...Read and REVIEW!
1. Choices

Well I'm back, as promised, with the sequel to Some Old Habits Die Hard. This story is set six months after Dom left L.A. I had to add Sean into this one. (ahhh...Lucas Black...so hot!!!!) I've also added an original character that would totally be played by Megan Fox if she actually existed in the movies. LOL! Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Please read and review!!!!

* * *

Dominic sat alone in his tiny Tokyo motel room, replaying the last time he saw Letty over and over again in his mind. He remembered that night, six months ago, in full detail. How betrayed she looked as she walked out of their bedroom, leaving him with tears in his eyes and a ring in his hand. God he missed her. He often woke up in the night reaching out to hold her, only to realize that he was alone in a crappy motel room, far away from where he belonged.

He had come to Japan to escape the drama that seemed to surround him and to visit with his old friend Han. His plan had failed. It had followed him here. Han was dead. There was nothing for him here and he wondered what still kept him in this place, but in the back of his mind he knew what it was. The fear of going back and having nothing there either.

He had called a few times to check in and see how things were going in his absence, but he never got to speak to Letty. He always got the same excuses, "She's not here. She's at the shop. She's asleep, blah blah blah." He knew that it was all bull shit, she just didn't want to talk to him. He really couldn't blame her. He was tired of being angry at himself for leaving it all behind. It was time to go home.

A knock at the door disrupted his thoughts. He got up and opened it, reveling Sean. Dom had met the kid with the thick southern drawl one night at a drift match a few months ago. They had raced and Sean, ( who had recently become the new Drift King), had beaten him, something Dom wasn't used to. Like Dom, Sean had been friends with Han. He had been the one that taught Sean to drift.

"What's happenin' D.K.," Dom joked, stepping outside to join his friend.

"Don't call me that, baldy, " Sean replied.

"Touche," Dom laughed. "So, you here to take my car from me?"

" I told you I only race for pinks. I let you keep it for this long, so if your still cryin' yourself to sleep about it," Sean teased. Dom enjoyed the kid's sense of humor. It reminded him of home.

"I never cry. In fact I was born without tear ducts. Besides it's all yours. You won it fair and square." He took the keys from his pocket and handed them to Sean, taking him by surprise.

"What're ya gonna drive around," Sean asked. "Ya know I was kiddin'."

"Won't need it anymore. I'm going back to the states. I've got plenty of rides to drive there," Dom explained.

* * *

Letty sat on the sofa in the living room of the Toretto house, watching the guests at the party that went on around her. Colby, who had just walked into the garage one day looking for a job and was now part of their makeshift family, danced and joked around with Jesse, while Vince chatted up a skinny blonde in the corner. Leon was across the room watching Letty as he mingled with some of the other party goers. She had been drinking heavily and was feeling comfortably numb, until her mind drifted to the subject of Dom. Suddenly the noise around her became overwhelming and she retreated upstairs to her bedroom. She shut the door behind her and flopped down onto the bed . The room was cool and dark which would have been comforting if he hadn't been on her mind. She replayed their last night together over and over again in her head as she laid there. It had been six months. Six months of sleeping in this bed without him. She started to pass out, but the gentle knock at the door disturbed her.

"Go away! The bathroom's the other way," she shouted, thinking that it was some random person who needed a place to pee.

The commotion downstairs got loud again and the room lit up briefly as the door slowly cracked open. She looked up, ready to snap at the intruder. It was only Leon. He closed the door and made his way over to her in the darkness.

"I was worried about you," he said softly. He sat down next to her and leaned against the head board. "You weren't lookin' to good."

"I'm fine." She didn't want to do this right now.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself." He sounded so concerned. It broke her heart.

"I can do whatever I want." She snapped at him not really meaning too. It was the alcohol and lack of sleep. He got up to leave so she reached out and grabbed his hand. He sat back down and there was a long silence.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I know that you're just trying to look out for me, but it 's the only thing that helps anymore."

He knew that she hadn't been sleeping much these days, but he had no idea how bad it had gotten. It had been like this once before, when they were together in Mexico , hoping that Dom would come for them. "It really is like they say," he thought. "History has a way of repeating it's self." He suddenly became furious with Dom, loosing respect for the man that he considered family. How could he have done this to her again? Didn't he know that even though she was tough she had one weakness...him. Leon was sure that Dom hadn't noticed, he was too busy looking out for himself to even be concerned about the effect he had on anyone else. He just came and went as he pleased, leaving Leon to clean up the messes he made.

She laid her head in his lap and he began to stroke her hair lightly. Before he knew it Letty sat up and pressed her lips to his. His hand slid slowly down her back and he kissed her with out even realizing what he was doing, before pushing her away.

"You don't wanna do this, Let," Leon murmured, still in shock by what had just happened between them.

She began to cry lightly as she spoke, "What the fuck is wrong with me? I'm so sorry!"

He put his arms around her and held her close to him. "It's ok. You're just drunk."

"I'm so sorry, Leon... I can't believe I just... I'm so... sorry...I'm just not me right now...but , I love you... you know that right?" She finally said, still in tears.

"I know you do, but not the way you love Dom." Leon said as he got up. "I'm gonna go get Colby so you're not alone ok?"

"Sure," she said, still embarrassed, right before passing out.


	2. Home

The next morning as Dom dragged all his personal belongings outside, he noticed Sean waiting for him in the parking lot.

"Looks like you're not the only one headed back stateside," Sean said with a grin.

"Where are you headed," Dom asked.

" My old man's getting shipped out soon, so I gotta go back to my momma's. She's livin' around L.A. now. At least he was nice enough to get the Mustang shipped over for me. As long as I promise not to get into to much trouble that is."

"No shit. That's my hometown," Dom said in disbelief.

"Small world, huh?"

"Maybe we better part ways if you plan on keeping your car. Trouble surrounds me back home."

"Guess I'll just have to take my chances."

* * *

On the plane ride over Dom told Sean more and more about his past and the situation back home.

"So lemme get this straight," Sean interrupted. " You went to prison once for almost beating a guy to death with a wrench? You're brother in law used to be an undercover cop who was sent in to arrest you for rippin' off trucks, but he let you go? And most recently, you left your chick, who sounds smokin' hot, at home with a bunch of dudes to take care of her?"

"When you put it like that it sounds like a soap opera or somethin', but yeah pretty much. I didn't leave her alone with just anybody. It's Leon, I trust the guy with my life." Dom said, not sure who he was trying to convince, Sean or himself.

"Whatever you say man," Sean laughed. "Still sounds pretty muffed up to me."

* * *

Dom felt more anxious the closer they got. They were off the plane and on the street heading toward the house when Dom came to the realization that it was mid afternoon and nobody would be home. He decided to head over to the market to see Mia first even though he really wanted to see Letty. No he didn't want to see her, he needed to see her and make sure that she was ok.

Sean said nothing as they stopped. He was just along for the ride. When they went inside, Dom was more than a little surprised to find a pretty young girl behind the counter instead of his sister. Sean looked at her and thought she was just about the hottest chick he'd ever seen.

She looked up as they came in, studying them with her pale blue eyes.

"What can I do for you boys," she asked, pushing a few strands of her long, dark hair away from her face as she spoke.

Dom stated, "Yeah I'm looking for my sister, Mia."

"Oh," she said. "You must be Dom. I'm Colby. Mia hired me to take her place in the afternoons while she goes to class."

* * *

Letty walked into the shop wearing a pair of huge sunglasses, the kind you always saw chicks like Nicole Richie wearing. Leon grinned, knowing it was because she had a hangover, however he was still a little nervous about talking to her after what had happen the night before.

She didn't act nervous at all, walking right over to him and asking if they could talk outside.

"I'm really sorry about the way I was acting last night. I didn't really know what I was doing," she confessed.

"It's all right," he smiled. "Please don't put me in a situation like that ever again. I don't know if you realized it, but you're not a bad lookin' chick...drunk or not"

She laughed. Something he hadn't seen her do much lately. "Thanks. I'm glad you handled things the way you did. Anyone else would have let it go way further. I really did mean that part about loving you though...just not like Dom."

"I love you, too girl. Have to...," he paused. "We're family. You guys are all I've got."

"Same here," she said as she embraced him.

"Well thank God that's over. I'd been dreading the thought of this conversation all day. You ready to get some work done?"

She nodded in response and they turned back toward the garage. There stood Dom who had been watching them as they spoke. Both Letty and Leon stared at him in shock, hoping he hadn't heard too much of what they had said to one another.

"Why am I not surprised to see the two of you together," Dom said cooly, making it hard to tell what the status of his mood was. "Looks like you've been taking care of her like I asked. I guess some things never change."

Letty blew past Dom and into the shop without a word. Leon just stood there unsure of what to say.

"Thanks man," Dom added.

Leon felt a rush of relief. "I'm glad you're back. She really needs you." That was all he could think to say.

By this time, Jesse and Vince had heard the news of Dom's return and had joined him outside while Letty got to work. She still felt to bitter about the past to talk to him, but she was a little relieved that he had come back. She couldn't believe that he had pick this day to show up. Typical.

"Hey there," she heard someone say in a thick southern drawl. "You look even better in person."

She turned around and saw a young guy standing opposite her. He grinned and extended a hand. "I'm Sean."

"Letty," she shook is hand wondering where he'd come from. "And...um...thanks?"

"Dom told me a lot about you."

"Oh really, you're a friend of his?"

"Yeah. I kicked baldy's ass in a race one night in Tokyo and we've been hangin' out ever since."

She immediately liked this kid, just as she'd immediately like Colby. Which was funny because it usually took her a while to warm up to anybody.

" You beat him?"

"Yep, raced for pinks. Got his car."

"He knows you call him baldy," she giggled. Still unable to believe that this kid had beaten Dominic Toretto, the king of the streets.

"Yeah, but that was before I heard about him kickin' some dude's ass with a wrench."

She couldn't help but laugh. This guy was hilarious with out even trying and she loved the way he sounded when he talked. "I still can't believe you got him to race for something other than cash. Do you always race for pinks?"

"Well there was this one time..." he began. "I raced for a date to prom with this asshole's girlfriend. There's still a tape of that floating around out there somewhere."

Letty was strangely interested. "Of what the race or you and the dude's girlfriend?"

Sean laughed, "I dunno...maybe both. Naw, the race. We wrecked out, so I never made it to prom. Didn't really wanna go anyway. I got sent to Japan instead."

"Woah. That sure beats the hell outta prom."

"It was either there or jail."

"So I guess you know how to drive a car, but can you work on one?"

"I didn't take three years of shop for nothin'."

Letty looked out one of the big bay doors and saw that the boys were still out there with Dom. "Why don't you give me a hand then?"


	3. Normal?

By the end of the day, Sean was accepted one of them. Everyone liked him, even Vince. Dom was so impressed by the work he'd done with Letty, that he offered him a job.

"You mean I'd get paid to work next to this hottie all day," Sean asked as he winked at Letty and flashed her his trademark grin. Letty laughed and rolled her eyes playfully before walking away.

"Yeah. At least one of us would get to be next to her," Dom muttered in a low voice, more to himself than to Sean.

"Well you know it'd have to be after school," Sean said, ignoring Dom's statement. "And I don't have a ride. The Mustang won't be here for a few days."

"Not a problem," Dom responded absent mindedly. " I'll have something waiting for you tomorrow afternoon."

"You've got a deal bal...I mean Dom," Sean recovered, remembering Dom's temper from the wrench story.

* * *

Later that evening, Dom arrived home to find his house was a wreck. Empty beer bottles and cups littered nearly every surface in the living room, making it very obvious what had been going on in his absence. He went upstairs to his room were the scene wasn't much better. There were clothes scattered all over the floor along with the comforter and some pillows from the unmade bed. He hoped the house hadn't looked this way the entire time he'd been gone. He started to straighten things up (even though he didn't want to) while he had the place to himself. Soon he heard the front door swing open and little footsteps scurrying across the hard wood floor.

"Uncle Dom," Maddy squealed as she hurled herself at him. "I missed you!"

"I missed you," Dom said, picking his niece up and giving her a hug.

Mia kissed his cheek when she finally entered the room. "Hey big brother. I'm glad to see that you remembered where home is."

"I never forgot," he said, not sure if she was also holding a grudge.

"Maddy, go play while I talk to Uncle Dom," Mia instructed. Maddy started to pout as Dominic set her down, but Mia looked at her sternly and she did as she was told.

"Things haven't exactly been wonderful since you decided to go on your little trip. I hope you realize that you screwed up by leaving again and it's gonna take a while for things to get back to normal...if they can get back to normal," Mia's words stung him even though she kept a pleasant tone as she spoke.

"I know," was all he could say. He knew that what she said was true, no matter how much he didn't want to face it.

"How can you be so selfish," she suddenly asked. She looked at him as though he was a stranger. That hurt him more than what she had said.

He didn't know how to answer her. Luckily he didn't have to. The team had arrived home, cutting his conversation with his younger sister short.

Dom introduced Mia to Sean, leaving them only a few minutes to make small talk before the inevitable happened.

"Well, I'm surprised to see you haven't disappeared again," Letty spat before going upstairs. Dominic listened as the bedroom door slammed shut, causing another strange look from Mia.

" I think we should do something special now that you're back," Vince piped up, ignoring the tension around him.

"Yeah," Jesse agreed. "We should have a...um...shit what do you call em."

"Cook out," Leon smirked, always able to figure out what Jesse meant.

"Yes...cook out...thanks," Jesse finished. "We should have a cook out like we used to."

"Sounds good to me," Dom said. "Tomorrow night. I expect you to be there, Sean."

Sean pretended to think the invitation over before replying, "Yeah. I'll be there."


	4. New Place, Old Problems

Sean woke up the next morning to the annoying sound of an alarm clock. He opened his eyes and studied the room around him, forgetting momentarily where he was. The boxes stacked against one wall ( 'Sean's Room' printed with black marker, in his mother's handwriting, on the sides) reminded him that he was in the new house in L.A. He got up and wandered around for a few minutes ( not liking the idea of being lost in his own home), before finding the bathroom, where he took a shower and threw on some clean clothes.

The smell of breakfast cooking lured him into the kitchen. He plopped down at the table, still tired from his mom's incessant questions that had started upon his arrival the night before. Which had included, "How was your flight? What took you so long to get here? Who brought you?" This morning was more of the same.

"So, what do you think of the house," she asked, setting a plate of bacon and eggs down before him. "Did you sleep well in your new room."

"Fine," he replied as he ate. He knew what she was doing. Not only was she desperately trying to seek his approval, she was also trying to see if she'd out done his father.

"Well I love it here! Good place to start over," she added, too optimistically.

" You act like it's my fault. I think you just like movin'," he finally snapped. He watched in horror as her smile never wavered.

"I know it's not your fault this time honey," she beamed. "I did this for me."

"Since when do you call me 'honey'," he asked, beyond irritated.

She ignored it, "Hurry up and eat. You'll be late for school."

* * *

After enduring the embarrassment of being 18 years old and driven to school by his mother, Sean started the first day of the rest of senior year, at yet another boring American high school.

The first part of his day passed uneventfully as he had imagined it would. It was around sixth period, as he stood at his locker studying his schedule, that he heard a vaguely familiar female voice speak to him. "Hey, your name's Sean right?"

He looked up and found the girl from the market looking at him. "Yeah that's me."

"Colby," she said, speaking as if he may not remember her, as she extended a petite hand his way. "From the Toretto's market."

"Yeah, I remember," he said. Unable to come up with anything better.

"So rumor has it that you moved here from Tokyo and you're a friend of Dom's," she smiled warmly at him. "I also heard that you'll be working at the garage in the afternoons."

"Yeah." He was surprised that she knew so much about him already. "How'd ya know that?"

"Word travels fast. I also know that you're 18 and you're finishing up senior year, like me ," she toyed with him. Sean couldn't help but find it attractive. Everything about her seemed to be. "Letty told me."

It turned out that they had the next three classes together, so they spent them getting to know each other.

"So where'd you get that sexy accent," Colby asked at one point in the conversation. "I like it."

Sean hoped a t that moment that guys couldn't blush . "I used to live in Alabama when I was a kid."

"Well I have to admit, you're a lot more interesting than the other boys around here. And you've made it this entire time without throwing me some lame ass pickup line ," she said. "You need a ride home? Oh yeah, I heard about your car situation, too."

After school, Sean followed Colby out to the parking lot where her shiny silver, 97 model, Honda Prelude waited. He couldn't get over how hot she was. He didn't know it, but she was thinking the same thing about him.

* * *

As they neared his house, Sean noticed Leon leaning against an old school red, Chevelle that was parked next to the curb.

"Damn kid, what took ya so long? Back in my day school let out like 3:15," Leon joked as Sean joined him. "Of course, I never actually stuck around that long."

"Man, this is nice," Sean gushed. "Where's your Skyline?"

"I'll see you boys tonight," Colby called from her car as she started driving away.

Leon answered Sean. "Oh, this isn't mine. Dom sent me over to drop this off with ya."

Before Sean could speak his mom pulled up in the driveway. She began ranting, just as Sean had expected she would, as soon as her feet hit the pavement.

"Where the hell did that..." she began, but stopped upon making eye contact with Leon. They stood there in an awkward silence studying each other as Sean watched perplexed.

"Leon," she asked, taking a slow step closer.

Leon was still shocked to be looking at the woman he hadn't seen since he was eight years old. He finally found his voice and managed to utter the word, "Mom?"


	5. Breaking Down

Sorry it took so long to update, guys. Thank you so much for the reviews. Please keep em coming. Enjoy!

* * *

There was another long pause before she spoke. "It's been a long time baby."

"You haven't seen me in like eighteen years and that's all you have to say to me," Leon yelled at her, taking a step back.

Sean stood there in dumbfounded, unable to believe what he'd just witnessed. He looked from his mother, who looked as if the waterworks were about to start, to his new found brother, whose expression was unreadable.

"Come inside boys," their mother's voice cracked as she motioned toward the house. "I'll explain everything."

"Well forgive me for not sticking around, but I already know how this story goes," Leon said, tossing Sean his keys before hurrying down the sidewalk.

"Wait," their mother pleaded.

"Did he give you too much trouble like me? Only instead of sending _him_ off somewhere, _you_ decided to leave?" Sean stared at her resentfully as he got into the Chevelle. He drove off, leaving her there all alone, just like she'd done to her children.

* * *

Leon took a cab back to the garage. Jesse and Vince watched from one of the opened bay doors as he paid the driver. He eyed his Skyline, wanting to get in it and take off, as he approached them. He wanted to avoid talking about what had just occurred for as long possible, so he'd just have to act like everything was cool, at least until he told Dom that he was heading home early.

"Where's Dom," Leon asked, making a quick visual sweep of the garage. He wanted this to go as quickly as possible.

"In the office," Vince grinned. When Leon started to walk off, he added with a wink, "I wouldn't go over there if I were you."

Jesse laughed and took a hit from his cigarette. Seconds later the office door swung opened and Letty emerged followed by Dom.

"I hope you know that didn't change anything," she blurted out as she adjusted her tank top.

Dom gave her a wounded look before turning his attention to his audience. Leon watched them. A little more fuel being added to the fire.

"I'm glad you're finally back," Dom bellowed, looking at Leon. "Where's Sean?"

"Dunno," Leon muttered. "I need to..."

"I need you to get to work on that G35 over there," Dom cut him off, "it isn't gonna fix itself."

Leon stared blankly at the Infiniti across the room, then back at Dom. His disinterest didn't go unnoticed.

"Or you can just stand there until Sean shows up. It's not like you just had a break or anything," Dom joked, turning away.

Leon took Dom's statement to heart and all the pressure of the day made him snap. "Maybe if I'd stayed gone longer, somebody woulda taken care of this shit for me."

Dom faced him again. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just disappear for a while and let somebody else take care of things. It seems to work for you," Leon replied bitterly. "Thought I might give it a try."

"I don't know what your problem is, but now is not the time for this," Dom said calmly.

" Sorry, but its time you heard exactly what everybody's been thinking. The truth sucks doesn't it," Leon hissed.

"What the hell's wrong with you," Dom asked, surprised by Leon's sudden outburst.

Everyone watched with a mixture of shock and amusement as Leon cocked back his fist and struck Dom directly in the face. Dom just stood there stunned like everyone else.

Dom felt everyone watching him, waiting for his reaction. Somehow he couldn't blame Leon for his actions. He did have a point after all. "Go home. We'll talk about this later."

"Whatever," Leon said, heading for his car.

Dom waited a few minutes before instructing Letty to go check on him.

* * *

Sean didn't go straight to the shop. He needed some time to figure out what to say to Leon. Instead, he decided to go by the market and see Colby. She would make a nice distraction.

She was leaning back on a stool. Feet propped up on the counter, reading a paperback book when he entered the store. She quickly sat up straight and slammed her book down on the counter when she heard the bell on the door jingle. He couldn't help but smile as she glared at him playfully.

"Shouldn't you be working," she asked, resuming her previous position.

"I feel like I should be asking you the same question," Sean jested.

"At least I'm actually _at_ work. What's your excuse?" She was good at this.

Sean didn't want to discuss the real reason he was avoiding the shop, but he couldn't think of a good excuse. Luckily he didn't have to, Colby provided one for him.

"I know," she said, getting up and leaning across the counter seductively. "You're hungry and you want me to make you a sandwich. At least that's the lie you were gonna tell me. We both know why you're really here."

"And why is that," Sean asked, playing along.

"Because you wanted to see _me_," she whispered coyly. She was mere inches from him and he could smell the sweetly intoxicating scent of her, sweet pea with a faint hint of chocolate. She was by far the most interesting and beautiful girl he'd ever come in contact with. He had to restrain himself.

"Well...I uhhh...," he unintentionally stumbled over his words, "You're right."

"I know," Colby said confidently. She kissed him on the cheek, leaving a sticky spot from her lip gloss, as she slid back across the counter. "So how about that sandwich?"

* * *

In the short time it took Letty to drive to the house, Leon had downed five beers and was working on the sixth when she entered the kitchen.

"What are you doin' here? Shouldn't you and Dom be making up somewhere," Leon scoffed, grabbing two more beers before heading down to the basement where he and Jesse each had a room.

"Is that what all this is about," Letty asked inquisitively as she followed him into his bedroom.

"Not everything revolves around you and Dom. And besides what you do with him is none of my business. It is kinda fucked up that he's already managed to get back in your pants though," Leon added nonchalantly.

Letty slapped him hard across the face, "I never expected something like that to come out of _your _mouth! Don't let it happen again! And whatever you _think_ happened, _didn't_! You wanna know what _really_ went on in there? He tried to tell me how sorry he was, nothing else!"

"Like I said, none of my business." He kept his cool and acted oblivious to the fact that he'd just been slapped, which startled Letty more than anything he was saying.

"What's gotten into you? I've never seen you like this...ever," she asked, growing more concerned.

He cringed at the question and opened another beer. "I saw my mother today."

"What?" She sat next to him on the bed now. "Where?"

" Turns out, she doesn't live too, far from here." He studied Letty's expression before continuing. " She has another kid."

"How do you know all of this," Letty asked, confused.

"It's Sean, Let. He's the other kid," Leon said, his voice almost a whisper.

Letty gaped at him unsure of what to say. He finished the rest of his beer and laid back on his bed, staring at the ceiling momentarily before closing his eyes. "I think I'm gonna sleep for a while."

She laid down next to him, (as he had done many times for her) knowing that he didn't really want to be alone. Just as he was about to escape into a dreamless sleep, she said his name.

"Huh," he muttered, only partially awake.

"At least you got a really cool little brother out of the deal."


	6. Accusations

1

Letty woke, startled by the muffled sound of footsteps and voices overhead. The room around her had become darker as the afternoon sun began to make its daily retreat, causing her to briefly forget where she was. She glanced over at Leon on the bed beside her. He lay on his stomach with his face away from her, one arm dangling off the edge, deep asleep.

She grinned at him as she scurried out of the room, hoping to make it upstairs before anyone came looking for her. She hadn't realized how tired she'd been, but the night before had been a long one. She'd spent more time avoiding Dom than actually sleeping and it had taken its toll on her today.

"_Speak of the devil_," she thought as he glared down at her from the top of the basement stair. His arms were folded across his chest and a frown was plastered on his face.

"I should've known I'd find you down here," Dom said gruffly.

Letty didn't know how to respond. She didn't have anything to hide, but Dom's tone made her feel like she did. Dom descended the staircase and stood directly in front of her.

"I was just checking on him," Letty finally spoke, keeping a cool tone. "Like you asked me to."

"I'm sure you were," he said accusingly, glancing at her slightly ruffled hair. "Do you really think I haven't noticed what's been going on?"

"You need to calm down and think about what you're saying," Letty hissed at him, already knowing exactly where this was going.

Dom laughed harshly. "_You_ want _me_ to calm down? Fine. I'll ask you calmly, how long has it been?"

"Do you realize how stupid you sound right now," Letty spat angrily.

"I said, how long have you and Leon been sneaking around together in _my_ house?" He moved closer to her, backing her up against the wall.

"Could you two go yell at each other somewhere else? I'm trying to sleep," Leon said groggily as he eyed them from his bedroom doorway.

"Well I'm sorry for disturbing you," Dom spoke bitterly. "But we need to talk."

"Look, if this is about what happened earlier," Leon began.

"Save it. It took me awhile to figure out what's been going on, but I get it now." Dom interrupted. "I trusted you." He looked from Leon to Letty before finishing. "Both of you."

"The fact that you think you can come back from another _country_, where I'm sure you screwed everything with a short skirt and tits, and talk to _us_ about _trust_ amazes me, Dominic," Letty fired back.

Leon had still been half asleep when he wandered into the argument, but Letty's words brought him up to speed. In their defense he said, "I only did what you asked me to do. If I wanted to sleep with your girl, I woulda done it already." It sounded a lot better in his head than it did out loud.

In a matter of seconds Dom hurled himself at Leon, knocking him to the floor. They began pounding their fists into each other and spewing accusations and obscenities while Letty looked on in horror. She knew there was no way she'd be able to break them up by herself.

"STOP IT!" She screamed out. "VINCE, JESSE, GET DOWN HERE!"

Moments later Vince came racing down the steps, followed not only by Jesse, but also Sean and Brian. They stood there momentarily watching the fight in disbelief, before Vince and Brian rushed over to pull Dom off of Leon. Dom had been detained, sort of, but Leon wasn't done yet. Sean and Brian held him back, but not before he got in a few more hits.

Shortly after their fight, Letty stormed off, (After giving Dom a few choice words, of course.) Once they were sure there was no longer any danger of Dom and Leon killing each other, the guys went their separate ways, leaving the two of them alone. They stood there for a long time studying one another in silence, both feeling horrible about what had just occurred between them.

Dom was the first to speak, apologizing for acting like a total asshole, and Leon, in turn, apologized for the uncalled for incident at the garage. After they'd settled their differences, they parted ways and each began to get ready for the cookout that just happened to be _that_ night.


	7. Beer and the Backyard

1

Leon stood in front of the steamy bathroom mirror, admiring his busted lip and slightly bruised body, after his shower. Looking back on it, the fight had been ridiculous, yet unavoidable. It was just one of those things that was bound to happen sooner or later, he just hoped that Letty wasn't too angry. She had looked pretty hurt by the whole situation before she had stormed off.

He smirked, thinking of Dom's well-deserved black eye, as he put on some clean clothes before going downstairs to join the others.

The delicious scent of steak simmering filled the air as Leon stepped into the back yard. He looked around at everyone scattered about, hoping for no more disasters this evening.

Dom flipped steaks on the grill, pausing momentarily to take a gulp of Corona. Brian stood with his arms around Mia's waist as they watched their little girl, Maddy. She was currently sitting on top of Letty's shoulders with a basketball trying to put it into the goal while Vince and Jesse waited patiently to shoot hoops on the driveway. Colby and Sean were already seated next to each other at the table talking and laughing quietly.

Leon walked toward his brother, who glanced at him awkwardly, neither knowing what to say. Colby noticed the apparent unease and took it upon herself to brake the silence.

"I'll make myself useful and go grab you guys some beer or something."

After she walked off, Sean got up from his seat and spoke, "Listen, I'm really sorry about what my...uh...I mean our mom did. I had no idea about any of this. It's really..."

"Don't apologize for her. You have nothing to do with what she did. Besides, I made it this long without her. No reason to bitch about it now," Leon laughed as he gave Sean a quick, brotherly hug.

"Sorry to break up this whole, new found male bonding experience, but here's your beer," Colby joked as she handed them each a long neck bottle. She cuddled up next to Sean's right side and he casually slipped an arm around well toned body.

"You really are my brother," Leon snickered, taking a swig of beer.

"Aside from the fascinating sense of humor and ridiculously good looks, how can you tell," Colby said sarcastically.

"He has hot chicks like you hanging all over him doesn't he?" Leon replied with a wink. Making them both crack up.

When the food was finally ready, everyone was seated around the table. Leon sat at one end of the table with Letty and Maddy to his left, Sean and Colby to his right. Dom sat directly across from him at the other end of the long table, Vince and Jesse to his left, Mia and Brian to his right.

Colby, who hadn't learned the team's table rules yet, reached out to grab a roll only to be smacked playfully on the hand by Jesse, who had learned the hard way.

She shot him a inquisitive look and he recited the speech Dom had once given him (almost word for word) "Since you were the first one to reach in and get the...er...bread, you say grace."

"Are you serious," Colby asked, giving him a confused grin.

"Yep," Leon said, clearly amused. "That's how it works around here. Be sure to say somethin' nice."

Colby took a second to survey the faces at the table around her, still unsure whether or not they were joking with her, before she spoke.

"Dear Lord, we would like to thank you for all your many blessings," she began, sounding slightly embarrassed, " and um, family, whether it be by blood or choice. Amen."

"Amen." Everyone said in unison.

"Not too bad girl," Leon added, smiling warmly at her. "I really like that last part."

"I think we should drink to it," Dom put in, reaching for his beer. He waited for everyone to lift their drinks. "To family, whether it be by blood (he paused and looked at Mia) or choice."(This time he glanced at the team.)

Seconds later, Letty looked across the table at Sean's empty beer bottle. "You better grab another one. To have an empty beer in this house is sacrilege."


	8. Giving In

That night when the meal was over everyone gathered in the living room, except for the O'Conner's, who had to get their daughter home for bed. Letty took this opportunity to sneak upstairs.

Dom watched her ascend the stairs, wondering to himself if he should follow. He thought it over for a few seconds before deciding that it was now or never. He couldn't go on like this much longer. Besides she couldn't stay mad at him forever, could she?

Dominic closed the door gently behind him as he entered the room. Letty, who was in the process of changing, jumped a little before shooting him an annoyed look.

"I'll be outta here in a second," she said flatly. She stood before him, nearly naked, for a few moments before snatching up some clothes from the floor to cover herself. He wondered if she had only allowed him a peek to punish him.

He stared at her helplessly, wanting nothing more than to reach out and touch her. He wanted things to go back to the way they were before he had so stupidly screwed them up.

"What are you lookin' at," she demanded, in typical Letty fashion, when she realized that his eyes still lingered on her.

"I'm sorry," Dom replied, turning away.

"How many times have I heard that lately," she muttered as she walked past him toward the door.

He'd finally had all he could take. He reached out and gently grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her closer to him.

She jerked her arm away. "You really think I want you to touch me, especially after that shit you pulled with Leon?"

He felt defeated. He was so tired of fighting. He kept his eyes fixed on hers as he spoke.

"Letty, I don't know what you want from me," Dom began.

"Have you considered the possibility that maybe I don't want _anything_ from you," Letty interrupted bitterly.

" I love you and I want things to be like they were before. I thought about you literally every day while I was gone. And every time I look at you I realize what an asshole I was for leaving." He felt a tiny bit of embarrassment as he admitted this. I sounded so unlike him, but it was the truth.

"How do I know you really mean all that?" She studied him cautiously.

"I know it's hard, but I guess you'll just have to trust me." He wasn't one for heartfelt confessions, but he hoped it was working.

Just when Dom thought all hope was lost, he noticed Letty's expression soften. She surprised him by planting her lips on his. He was stunned, but instinctively kissed her.

Letty began pushing him backward toward their bed. She paused only long enough to say, "This is your last chance Dominic, don't make me regret it."

Downstairs the speculations had begun about Letty and Dom's absence.

"Well, I guess they made up," Leon said, never taking his eyes off the T.V.

"Why do you say that," Vince asked, amused.

"It's been a while and I haven't heard any screaming," Leon replied with a smirk.

"Maybe she killed him," Jesse joked as he lit up a cigarette.

" I guess we shouldn't rule that out," Vince chuckled.

* * *

A few days later Sean was walking across campus to meet Colby in the parking lot after school when his cell rang. He answered it without even looking to see who was calling.

"I'm glad to see you're putting my gift to use," a familiar voice said from the other end.

"I wouldn't call something _I_ had to pay for a gift, Twinkie." Sean smiled at his own cleverness.

"Why ya gotta be like that? I hooked you up with a discount didn't I," Twinkie said in a mock defensive tone.

Sean laughed at his friend. "How have you been?"

"Not too bad. How's L.A.?" Twinkie sounded a little distracted. Sean could hear techno music pulsating in the background and the chatter of female voices speaking in Japanese.

"Pretty good I guess. Met a girl. She's really hot. Found out I have an older brother that my Mom's been hiding from me my entire life. (Sean mentioned this part quickly, checking to see if Twinkie was still listening.) Dom hooked me up with a job in his garage and a car to drive until mine gets here."

"That's why I called," Twinkie began. "Hold up, did you say brother?"

"Yeah. Long story." He grinned at Colby who was leaning casually against the side of her car.

She wore a pair of black and white checkerboard, slip on Vans, a denim mini skirt and an old Lynyrd Skynyrd T-shirt that managed to show off her perfect body. Her long brunette hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and her flawless, lightly tanned skin seemed to glow in the afternoon sun. She looked sexy as always and he had trouble taking his eyes off of her.

" Right. Anyway your car should be waiting at the docks. Speaking of hot chicks, I'm surrounded by them. Oh yeah, and Neela wanted me to tell you hi. She's going to Australia after graduation," Twinkie informed him.

"Twinkie," a female voice shouted in the background.

"Later Sean. I gotta go," Twinkie said quickly before hanging up.

Sean shut his phone and slipped it into his pocket. Colby was looking at him inquisitively.

"What was that about," she asked. She didn't even know that Sean owned a cell phone, so she was naturally curious.

"My car's here," he replied happily.

"I'm so tired of hearing about that stupid car," Colby joked. "Let's go get it so I can see how great it is for myself."

* * *

Later that evening, when Sean got off of work, he left the garage and headed for his Mustang, where he was surprised to find Colby perched neatly on the hood waiting for him.

"Let's go for a ride," she half asked, half-told him.

He was more than happy to oblige. He drove around for a long time until he found a nearly deserted street near the ocean. It was a long straight a way that just happened to have a large curve near its end. He knew that this was the perfect moment to prove himself.

Sean stopped the car. Colby looked at him slightly puzzled. He revved the engine and gave her a mischievous grin before putting the car into gear and slamming hit foot on the gas, launching them forward.

She squealed with delight as the needle neared 130 on the speedometer. Her mood abruptly changed as they approached the curve and Sean had yet to slow down to a normal speed. Her left hand shot out and gave Sean's right thigh a tight squeeze. Her eyes went wide. In a matter of seconds, it seemed, Sean slowed and drifted the car effortlessly around the corner.

He looked over at Colby who was all but hyperventilating. "Scare you?"

"You've gotta teach me how to do that! That was freakin' awesome," she answered excitedly.

Their fun was short lived. Sean noticed red and blue flashing lights behind them.

"Shit," he said under his breath as he pulled over. It was his turn to get wide eyed. He knew there was no getting out of this. He was so screwed.

Colby, who knew all about his previous run ins with the law, quickly devised a plan. "Switch me."

He stared at her confused.

"Switch me," she repeated. "Hurry before he gets out!"

Sean gaped at her in disbelief.

"Switch spots with me now," she commanded calmly.

He did as he was told. Somehow they slipped into one another's spots without any complications.

She leaned over and gave him a long lingering kiss. "I'm not letting you go to jail," she whispered as the officer tapped on the window.


	9. Not Your Typical Sleepless Night

Thanks for the reviews! Please keep 'em coming.

* * *

Sean lay on his bed staring at the pale blue glow that his lava lamp cast on the ceiling. He'd been doing this for hours now, unable to sleep. He took his cell out of the pocket of his pj pants and dialed Colby's number for the 6th time. It went straight to voicemail, again. He threw his phone across the bed, irritated.

Much like his older brother Leon, Sean had never had any problems with the ladies, for obvious reasons. However, he had never been this hung up on a girl in his entire life. He and his ex-girlfriend, Neela, had been through a lot together, but had ultimately decided that they made better friends than an actual couple. What he felt for Colby was something he never felt for anyone before. He wished she was with him right now.

Thinking about his current situation made him feel totally ashamed of himself. He should have just taken the fall. He would have been arrested, of course, but it was better him than her.

Sean was soon aware of a gentle knocking sound. He peered over in the direction of the noise and noticed a silhouette outside the window. He stumbled over something on the dark floor as he cautiously reached out and slid back the curtains.

Sean was relived to see Colby looking back at him from the other side of the glass. Her deep blue eyes glistened in the light of a nearby street lamp. He slid the window frame up and helped her inside. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face against his bare chest.

" I shouldn't have let you do that," Sean whispered into her hair. She smelled so good.

"It was no biggie. I told you I wasn't gonna let you go to jail," she said, taking a step back.

"Yeah, but you went in my place." Sean was so disappointed in himself. He couldn't look at her any longer so he stared at the floor.

"Not really. It was all just a mix up. Something about unpaid tickets that I actually paid. They let me go so don't beat yourself up about it." She lifted his chin, forcing him to look at her.

Colby smiled warmly at him. "I'm tired. Mind if I crash with you?"

Sean couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You wanna...umm...yeah sure."

She giggled, amused that she'd caught him off guard. His nervousness was adorable.

"Can I borrow something to sleep in? This skirt is really uncomfortable," she asked sweetly, plopping down on his bed.

He went to his dresser and pulled out a white T-shirt and some boxers that he'd never worn. He handed them to her before turning around while she changed.

He caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror above his dresser. She stood there in his T-shirt and a pair of black, lacy, boy short panties, pulling his boxers up her long legs. She looked up and their eyes met. Sean quickly averted his attention, embarrassed that he'd been caught.

"I'm done." Colby announced, as if Sean didn't already know. She left her clothes in a neat pile on the floor and crawled onto Sean's bed, taking the spot next to the wall.

He turned around and eyed her. She let out a tiny yawn and patted the bed next to her. He didn't think he could do this.

"You can have the bed. I'll sleep on the couch."

"Don't be such a freakin' boy scout," she joked, rolling her eyes.

Sean hesitated for only a moment before joining her. She snuggled up next to him and he wrapped his arms around her slender body protectively.

Colby kissed his cheek and closed her eyes as she whispered, "Jail. Hmm. You didn't think you were gonna get rid of me that easily did you?"

Sean couldn't help but smile. L.A. was really starting to feel like home.


	10. Family System

Hey guys, long time no see. LOL! Well I finally decided to write some new chapters. Hope they're to your liking.

* * *

"SEAN BOSWELL, GET YOUR ASS OUTTA BED NOW," Ms. Boswell shrieked upon realizing that her son was not alone in his bed. She dropped a basket full of clean laundry on the floor in the process.

In one quick motion Sean was out of bed and shoving his mother out into the hallway before she could cause an even bigger scene. He shut the door gently behind them hoping Colby hadn't heard the commotion.

"Do you care to explain just what the hell you think you're doing," Ms. Boswell continued, eyeing her son a bit nervously.

"I was doing this thing called sleepin' til you busted in and started screamin' at me," Sean popped off. His heart was still pounding in his chest after her sudden outburst and he scowled at her, annoyed. However he did take a little pleasure in the fact that she was obviously embarrassed by the current situation.

"Don't be a smart ass. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Did your father let you sneak strange girls into your bed," Ms. Boswell ranted. "I bet he did."

"When did you become sucha concerned parent," Sean scoffed.

"I've got news for you, Sean. I don't give a shit what your dad let you get away with, this is _my_ house and I don't appreciate walking into my _teenage_ son's room and finding him in bed with some random high school tramp," Ms. Boswell went on, ignoring the insult.

Sean was at a momentary loss for words and his mild annoyance had now manifested into intense anger.

* * *

As soon as Colby heard the door click shut, she was on her feet and changing back into her clothes from the night before. After that, she checked herself out in the mirror above Sean's dresser. Her reflection made her grateful that she had yet to see Sean this morning. Her black eyeliner had smeared at some point during the night and her hair was in total disarray. Colby quickly got herself in order and admired the various car posters on the walls while she awaited his return.

A few minutes later, she was out the window and walking across the front lawn, when she heard a woman's voice call out, "Hey, come here. I wanna talk to you."

Colby turned and saw a woman, who she assumed was Sean's mother, standing on the front porch, smoking a cigarette and watching her carefully. She was a thin lady, fashioned in a fuzzy pink bathrobe and matching slippers. Her light brown hair hung messily to her shoulders. She looked relatively tame, but Colby found something about her slightly intimidating.

Colby took a few slow steps back toward the house. When the two finally stood face to face Colby began blurting out an informal apology. She'd never been confronted by an angry mother before.

Ms. Boswell put her free hand up, motioning for Colby to stop. "Sean told me what happened. Thank you for keeping him out of trouble. And next time you plan on coming over, please use the front door."

* * *

The living room and kitchen were both empty when Letty got downstairs, a strange occurrence considering it was Saturday morning. The only sound in the house came from the dining room where Letty found Mia. She was seated at the long wooden table, the top of which was littered with medical text books, writing furiously in a spiral notebook.

"I hate to tell you this, but your handwriting is way too neat to be a doctor," Letty observed, startling Mia, who had been totally immersed in her work. "Where is everybody?"

"Brian had to work today so I brought Maddy over here so she'd have something to do while I study for my exam. The guys took her outside with them so I could have some piece and quiet," Mia responded absentmindedly.

Brian and Roman had recently purchased The Racer's Edge. He and the rest of his crew from Miami now spent virtually all their time selling parts to every kid in the city that had a wad of cash and a car that need to go faster. Brian in turn sent the not so mechanically inclined kids over to DT Precision Auto Shop to get the rides modified. It worked out well for everyone, except Mia when she needed a babysitter.

"It's a beautiful day and I need a break, so why don't we see what they're up to," Mia added as she dropped her pen and shut the notebook.

Letty looked toward the street as she stepped onto the front porch. A jet-black Mercedes sedan with dark tinted windows that was parked on the street a few houses down caught her eye. The windows were too dark for her to see if there was anyone inside, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

As she and Mia rounded the corner of the house, they found Jesse and Maddy racing remote control cars in the driveway. Maddy's car, the Silvia that Letty had bought for her, was currently ahead. Jesse's car, a green Eclipse that Maddy had recently acquired on her 3rd birthday, suddenly ran off the concrete into the grass.

Jesse groaned in disappointment for Maddy's benefit.

"I got cha," she beamed. She held out one small hand toward Jesse. "Now where's my dollar?"

"Oh come on," Jesse exclaimed.

Maddy frowned at him and made her way a little further up the driveway to the garage where Dom, Leon and Vince were working on the Charger.

"Uncle Dom," she pouted, "Jesse won't give me my money."

"I think you oughta pay up man," Leon interjected.

Dom smiled down at his niece before glancing from the wrench in his hand to Jesse. "I really don't wanna have to come out there and break your legs."

"No!" Maddy cried, clearly horrified by Dom's threat.

Letty and Mia, who had been watching the whole time began laughing, as did everyone else.

"Uncle Dom was just playing baby," Mia cooed as she embraced her child.

Dom's cell rang so he abruptly stopped what he was doing and went toward the front yard. Letty followed him with her eyes until he was nearly out of sight. Just as Dom disappeared around the side of the house, the black Mercedes came by. It drove past slowly at first, then quickly accelerated and vanished down the street.

Letty looked around at the others, wondering if they had noticed. It appeared that they hadn't so she came to the conclusion that she was just being paranoid. It was a relatively busy neighborhood in Los Angeles after all.

Dom returned, "Leon, your brother just called asking for a favor. I'm going to the shop to take care of it. I might need a hand if anyone's interested."

Leon shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah sure. I'll come."

"Dammit! We're always freakin' workin'," Vince grumbled, pretending to be irritated by the request.

"Guess I better come too so I can afford to pay my debts," Jesse chuckled, thrusting a wadded up dollar bill at Maddy. "Here ya little midget."

Letty announced that she would stay and help Mia with Maddy. As the team headed toward their vehicles, Dom paused to give Letty a quick, but gentle kiss, making her blush.

"Well it looks like you and my brother are on good terms again," Mia said, as she watched Dom drive away.

Letty looked around to make sure that Maddy wasn't within earshot before she quipped, "Sometimes you've just gotta give in. Especially when you haven't had sex in six months."

"Whatever helps you sleep better at night, Let." Mia giggled. "That was a very disturbing tidbit of information by the way."

"Well that _does_ help me sleep better at night," Letty said, purposely taking Mia's words out of context.

Mia grinned at her best friend. "You're sick. You know that right?"


	11. Flashback

Thank you so much for the reviews. To reward you for being so kind I have added not one, but two new chapters. Hope you enjoy and please continue to read and review!

* * *

Flashback- About Five Months Earlier

It had been a little over a month since Dom's departure and everyone was feeling the effects of his absence.

Mia had been forced to put Maddy into daycare so that she could juggle singlehandedly running the market, helping out with the paperwork at the shop, and that was just during the day. Her nightly duties I included studying and going to class, not to mention making sure that things at home continued to run smoothly, leaving her little time for sleep. Her recent exhaustion had caused her to gain a quick temper at times, making her a force to be reckoned with.

Brian and Roman had used some of the money they'd stashed from their time in Miami to purchase the Racer's Edge. When they left to sell parts, Tej and Suki had followed, leaving the crew at the shop even more shorthanded.

Business at DT was thriving thanks to Brian sending most of his clientele over for upgrades and routine maintenance. This meant lots of money, (considering nearly every newbie to the racing scene dreamed of being as fast as the reigning 'King of the Streets'), but also lots of work. Without Dom there ordering them around, things had become rather chaotic.

Vince, who was pretty much considered Dom's second in command anyway, had assumed the responsibility of running the shop and trying to hold things together with the team.

Jesse tried to ignore the current situation all together, they say ignorance is bliss after all. He had taken it upon himself to keep things upbeat, but even his optimism was beginning to falter.

Leon spent his time working and keeping an ever watchful eye on Dom's most prized possession, Letty. He joked every now and then, but for the most part he was solemn, which was totally out of character.

Letty was taking it the hardest, just as everyone had expected. She seemed distant and distracted as though she was constantly lost in thought. Every once in awhile the guys could coax a smile or a laugh out of her. Sadly it was a rare occurrence.

It was about this time that Colby entered the picture. She came wandering into the shop late one afternoon looking for help with a flat tire. She glanced around hesitantly at what seemed to be a rough looking all male crew, debating wether she should stay or seek assistance elsewhere. She was just about to bail when she spotted a girl hiding amongst them. This made her feel a bit more at ease.

Vince was the first to take notice of her. He gave her a quick once over taking note that she was attractive, yet most likely not legal so he quickly lost interest.

"Can I do something for ya miss," he asked in his most professional sounding tone.

Her blue eyes darted around apprehensively as she spoke. "Um, yeah. I just got a flat and my jack is broken."

"No problem. Gimme me the keys and I'll take care of it," Vince instructed, resuming his naturally gruff tone. He motioned toward an old bench seat from some ancient vehicle that was leaned against the far wall. "You can wait over there if you want."

As Colby sat there waiting, she watched everything that was going on in the shop around her. She admired the well equipt performance cars, feeling totally embarrassed that she'd come in asking for help with a measly flat tire. She then studied the intimidating mechanics working on them, knowing that they were the real deal and meant business. But mostly she kept her attention focused on the only other female in the room. She watched in amazement as this other chick, who was beautiful even though she was currently covered in grease up to her elbows, lugged around heavy parts and was able to hold her own with the big boys.

"It'll cost ya 10 bucks," Vince informed her when he was finished.

Colby stood up and dug in the back pocket of her jeans, eventually fishing out a crinkled ten dollar bill.

"Damn I need a job," she muttered to herself as she handed him the cash.

"What do you know about cars," Vince inquired, only half kidding considering he was practically desperate for a little extra help.

"Come on V," Letty interrupted smugly, before Colby had the chance to speak. "She couldn't even fix a flat." This made the other two mechanics chuckle.

"I know some, but I'm not very mechanically inclined if that's what you're asking," Colby murmured, feeling really out of place. So much for the other girl being a safety net.

"What about making sandwiches? Can you handle that," a gentle feminine voice asked from behind her. She turned to find a lovely dark haired woman holding a thick stack of papers, looking at her. Colby looked back at her skeptically, not sure if she had been joking.

"Uh. Yeah. I guess," she responded, hesitantly.

"Well you look pretty tame," the woman said thoughtfully. "I'm Mia. I run a market a few blocks from here and I could use some part time help if you're interested."

"Are you serious," Colby asked. Mia had seemed sincere, but she still wasn't sure.

Mia nodded yes. "What's you're name?"

"Colby."

"Cute," Mia said with a small smile. "So are you still in high school?"

"Yes. I'm a senior."

" Jail bait." Colby heard one of the guys snicker.

"I just turned 18," she quickly added, feeling like she was on display.

Mia looked at the team a bit angrily. "Well you don't look like you're addicted to crack and I haven't seen you try to jack anything since you've been here, so you're obviously not a klepto. Do you have any nasty little habits I need to know about?"

Colby giggled nervously. "No. Not unless you count sarcasm."

Mia seemed amused. She quickly pulled out a pen and began to jot down something on one of the papers she held. "Well I think you'll fit in quite nicely then. Here are the directions to the market. I'll expect to see you there tomorrow after school."

"Sounds like a plan! Thank you so much," Colby exclaimed as she took a folded piece of paper from Mia's hand.

As soon as Colby was out of sight, Letty felt compelled to speak her mind. "What are you thinking? You don't know that kid."

"You sound like our boy Vince over there," Leon joked. "Relax Let, she's just a high school kid. She poses not threat to you."

"Whatever." Letty huffed as she disappeared beneath the car she'd been working on. "It's not like we _don't_ have _enough_ drama in our lives."

* * *

It had been almost two weeks since Colby had started working at Toretto's. The guys had taken an almost instant liking to her because they thought she was funny and she kept them well fed when they came in for their late afternoon lunch breaks. They had already begun to think of her as sort of a little sister, a situation they could control.

Mia liked having the extra help, not to mention another girl around to talk to. It was through these verbal exchanges that Colby had learned about the situation with Mia's bald and beautiful older brother, Dominic.

These frequent exchanges weren't the first time she'd heard of the infamous Dominic Toretto. Once the wannabe racer kids,(most of whom had older siblings that were into the scene), at school caught wind of where Colby was spending her afternoons, the rumors began to fly. However, Mia, who was the most credible source, was the one that helped Colby separate the facts from the fiction.

Colby was thrilled that she was in the good graces of Mia and the team, but there was one person in particular that she needed to gain acceptance from and that was her new found idol, Letty. It was proving to be quite a chore to get on her good side. Colby had learned bits and pieces about her from Mia and the guys, but had yet to have an actual conversation with her.

On this particular day, all that would change.

Colby heard the sound of tires screeching to a halt out front and looked up to see the team coming in. All of them greeted her warmly before taking their usual seats at the counter to wait for their food. All except Letty who wordlessly grabbed a soda from one of the many coolers. She snatched up the latest issues of Super Street and Import Tuner from the magazine rack before making her way to the back room when Dom usually sat to be alone.

"Don't take it personally girl," Leon said noticing a twinge of disappointment pass across Colby's face. "She's just like that sometimes."

It was no secret that Colby looked up to Letty and the guys were more than willing to give her some pointers about how to get in her good graces.

"Why don't you go ask her if she needs something," Jesse offered sheepishly.

"You really think that's a good idea," Colby asked as she handed them each a plate with a sandwich on it.

"Yeah sure," Vince assured her. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Are we talking about the physical of psychological effects of what could happen?" Colby laughed.

"This is the part where I'm supposed to tell you there's nothing to be afraid of, but if I did I'd be lying." Leon added playfully.

When Colby finally worked up enough courage, she approached Letty.

"Hey. Can I ...uh...get you anything," Colby asked meekly.

Letty stared up at her blankly for a moment before returning her full attention to the magazine in front of her.

"I give her three minutes before Letty sends her packin'," Vince said suddenly.

"That's not cool man. We can't bet on something like that." Leon attempted to sound shocked that Vince would even consider such a thing. "Five bucks says it's at least five minutes."

"Ten says it's three." Vince insisted, upping the ante.

"Fifteen says you're both wrong,"Jesse said, sounding very sure of himself.

Colby shrugged her shoulders and looked down at her feet. She felt defeated, which was nothing new. She let out a long sigh and turned to leave. "Okay. Sorry I bothered you."

Something happened right then that Letty couldn't explain. Maybe it was the hurt tone of Colby's voice, she didn't know, but this was one of the few times in her life that she actually felt bad about giving someone the cold shoulder. She suddenly realized that Leon had been right all along. Colby posed no threat. She wasn't a racer chaser. She seemed relatively drama free and didn't seem to have some hidden agenda. She was just a kid that desperately wanted Letty like her.

"Wait," Letty said. "I am kinda hungry."

Colby grinned, somehow knowing that she was so in.

End Flashback


	12. The Present

"Well look who it is," Leon exclaimed when Colby and Sean came strolling into the shop later that afternoon. "The two little jail birds!"

"How _are_ Bonnie and Clyde doing today," Vince asked, sounding unusually cheerful.

Word had already managed to spread to the rest of the team about the events of the night before.

"Ha. Ha." Sean laughed sarcastically as he approached his friends.

"So this is my surprise Sean? You brought me here to get taunted by a bunch of grease monkeys," Colby joked.

Leon took this as an opportunity to go up to Colby and smear grease across one of her cheeks.

"I can't believe you did that you bastard." Colby turned up her nose, acting as though she was really offended.

Everyone knew that Colby was just joking, but Sean glanced over to Leon uneasily, hoping that she hadn't accidentally offended him, in light of their recent drama.

Leon had taken the joke like a champ and fired back with, "Oh, I'm so sorry you delicate little flower. Let me get that for you."

He held out a red shop rag that was now also acting as an olive branch. Colby snatched it from his hand and promptly made her way over to the nearest car. She bent over so she could see her reflection in one of the side mirrors as she wiped the black smudge from her face.

Leon, who viewed Colby in a **strictly** sisterly way, pretended to check out her ass as she bent over, making sure Sean caught him. "So now that we're brothers, you're gonna share your toys with me right?"

Sean shot his older brother a dirty look. "Notta chance."

All of the guys began cracking up while Colby continued what she was doing, completely oblivious.

"All right children, knock it off," Dom bellowed. He walked over to where Sean was standing and handed him a set of keys. "It's ready to roll. The suspension's tight. It handles great and we just threw on a fresh set."

"Thanks man," Sean said, going over to take a closer look at the new GTO.

"Don't stay out playin' too long," Leon instructed as his younger brother and Colby got into the car. Sean looked at him questioningly.

"Yeah. That's right," Dom said, as if he'd totally forgotten. "We're going to the race tonight. _All_ of us."

Colby found it funny how Dom never asked people for things. Instead he told them how it was going to be, and everybody followed his orders like it was the law, without complaint. She thought it must be nice to have that kind of power.

She was also thrilled at the prospect of getting to go to a race. She'd been accepted as one of them for quite some time now and had gone to many of the after parties, but she'd never been invited to a race until now.

"Hey Sean," Dom added as they were about to leave. "Try to bring it back in one piece."

* * *

Dom had won this particular car his second night back in the states. It had been another sleepless night alone since Letty was still refusing to have anything to do with him, so he decided to go out and have some fun to clear his head.

He'd been just cruising around aimlessly until he rolled up to a stop light on one of the city's lesser traveled streets where he spotted a likely opponent. In the lane to his left was a teenage kid driving a new, burnt orange, Pontiac GTO.

Just as he had expected, the cocky adolescent boy rolled down his passenger side window and began shouting to get Dom's attention. Dom humored the kid and rolled down his own window.

"You wanna go?" The boy asked.

"Isn't it past your bedtime," Dom retorted.

"You really think that Miata can take me?" The kid stated, still thinking he sounded really cool.

Dom laughed coldly. He hated it when people who obviously knew nothing about cars wanted to talk shit. Frankly, Dom was a little offended that this poor dumb ass didn't know the difference between a Miata and an RX-7. He was accustomed to being idolized and having his RX-7 admired by people who appreciated it for what it was, not being criticized by annoying little pricks. He took pride in the fact that this was going to be an easy and rewarding win.

"Well are you in or not?" The boy was getting really impatient.

Dom decided to do something he rarely ever did. "Okay. I'll race you...for pinks."

The kid looked at him like he was insane. At first Dom thought he was going to refuse the offer, but like a true moron, he soon agreed.

Things played out in Dom's favor, as they usually did. After the race, Dom grinned as he watched his latest victim pound his fists against the steering wheel in a fit of rage. Soon the boy was out of his car staggering over toward the RX-7. Dom knew where this was going so he exited his car. The guy's demeanor changed when he realized how massive Dominic was. He swiftly lost all hope of backing out of their deal and handed over the keys.

Dom called the loser a cab and advised him to brush up on his car knowledge. He then called Vince and Jesse to come collect his latest prize, which he planned to make into a drift car.


	13. Car vs Light Pole

Thank you guys for reviewing! Please keep it up. It motivates me to keep going and makes me smile:)

* * *

"You want me to what?" Colby gaped at Sean.

"You heard me," he replied calmly. "Just slide over here and do it."

"No freakin' way." Colby refused. "Are you crazy?"

"Yeah, probably a lil' bit," Sean said with a sly smile. "Come on. I wasn't that good my first time either, but the only way you're gonna learn is through some hands on experience."

"No way. I can't do this in _Dom's _car." She frowned.

"He said it was okay. Don't be shy. You're the one who practically begged me for this, remember?" Sean went on confidently, thinking that he'd convince her eventually.

"Fine." Colby gave in. "You win."

Sean vacated the car, letting Colby slide reluctantly into the driver's seat. Not two seconds later he was in the passenger seat buckling his seat belt.

"Just relax and remember what I showed you," Sean offered, noticing Colby's white knuckle death grip on the steering wheel.

"Okay." Colby stared through the windshield at the empty parking lot before her and let out a long sigh. Finally she put the car into gear and it lurched forward.

"All right. See that pole up ahead?" Colby nodded in response and Sean continued. " I want you to do an E-slide around it. That way, you can get a better feel for the car. Then once you get that down, maybe I'll show you some of the really tricky stuff."

Colby nervously did as Sean instructed. As the car neared the pole, Sean called out "Now!" and Colby pulled up on the E-brake. She was very disappointed when the car only made it about a quarter of the way around.

"Too wide." Sean stated knowingly. "You've gotta get in closer. Try it again. Oh, and this time pick up a little more speed."

Colby went back for round two, this time coming at it faster and closer. For a fleeting moment, she actually thought she might succeed. In the end she miscalculated and sent the car careening into the concrete pedestal on which the light pole was perched.

"Oh shit," Colby cried out, breathlessly. "Dom is going to _**murder**_ me!"

Sean caught her wild-eyed expression, trying to figure out something appropriate to say. "Well at least it wasn't his RX-7," was all that came to mind.

Dom stood in the office while Jesse explained some designs he'd created on the computer. Dom suddenly lost all focus when the horrible sound of something scraping across the pavement filled the garage. He solemnly exited the office, already filled with dread. Soon the GTO came into his line of view. He silently made his way around the now parked car, assessing the damage. There was a massive dent in the driver side rear quarter panel, the safety glass in the rear window was shattered and the back bumper was struggling to hang on.

Vince and Leon had already started playfully mouthing off to Sean.

"Is this what you consider bringing it back in one piece?" Leon asked, partially mimicking Dom's earlier statement.

Jesse emerged from the office and moved in closer to the car, pretending to get a better look. "All the parts are still here...I think. So technically I guess it's still in one piece." He said the last bit with air quotes, which made Vince and Leon crack up.

Vince suddenly felt compelled to ask, "What the hell happened Sean? I thought you were some hot shot drifter."

Sean just glared at them silently. Colby stood next to him blushing in embarrassment as she stared down at her shoes. She looked up briefly and caught a glimpse of Dom. His muscular arms were folded across his chest and he was eyeing them unhappily. Colby gulped and focused her attention back on her shoes, thinking that life as she knew it was about to be over.

The others finally seemed to notice the extremely pissed off vibe that Dom was currently radiating and made a hasty retreat.

"Sorry bro, but you're on your own." Leon said softly as he passed Sean.

"See ya at the race," Jesse added.

"Yeah, _if_ Dom lets him live." Vince chuckled, leaving Sean and Colby to fend for themselves.

Sean was at a loss for words. He hadn't expected to get Dom's latest toy jacked up this bad. He thought back to the first time he drifted, when he had borrowed Han's 'Mona Lisa' and things had gone so badly. Han hadn't seemed that angry and later explained that he had been willing to risk the car in exchange for knowing what Sean was made of.

Somehow Sean didn't think Dom shared this passive philosophy. He struggled to come up with an apology good enough to appease Dom.

Colby continued to look down toward the floor, only now she was shuddering. She realized that she might be overreacting a little bit, but she couldn't help thinking that this was the way people must have felt waiting to be beheaded by the guillotine.

After a long awkward silence, Dom finally spoke. His voice sounded deeper than Colby remembered. "I hope you had fun fucking up my car."

Colby didn't look up as she spoke, " I'm sorry. I _swear_ I'll pay you back."

Dom seemed to ignore what she'd said. "When you're not in school or at the market, I expect you to be here."

Colby jerked her head up so fast, Sean was surprised she didn't get whiplash.

"What am I gonna do here? I'm not a mechanic," She questioned politely.

"I don't know, but I'm sure I can figure out something to occupy your time," Dom responded grimly as he turned back toward the office.

Colby flashed Sean a quick smile. "And here I was under the impression I was being punished."

She didn't think she'd said it loud enough for Dom to hear, but he paused and looked back in her direction amused. "We'll see how you feel about that in a few days. Now get out of here, I 'll see you two tonight."


	14. Picking Up Where He Left Off

Sorry this took so long! Thanks for the reviews...please give me more good ones! Enjoy!

* * *

Colby didn't take a single moment of that night for granted no matter how mundane the others may have found them. She knew that it was a huge honor to be allowed to accompany the team to a race. It had taken her a long time to work her way into their inner circle and she knew that her being here tonight verified that all her effort hadn't been in vain.

They left the Toretto house and traveled down the streets in a single file row toward their destination. The pack of cars headed across town toward the warehouse district, which was not a place Colby would care to venture alone, day or night. However since she was rolling with the team she felt untouchable.

It was rapidly approaching midnight so this part of town wasn't very active making it a prime location for late night thrill seekers. Moments later the team pulled off the street into what appeared to be an empty parking lot. Soon Colby could see the glow of headlights coming from between two buildings in the distance.

As they got closer the team broke off into a well choreographed, "V"shaped formation. It reminded Colby of soldiers getting ready for battle. Moments later they all came to an abrupt halt a few feet away from the waiting crowd that had been hidden from view within the shadows of the warehouses.

Colby slowly stepped out of Sean's Mustang and was suddenly bombarded by the chaos going on around her. The night air was filled with the near deafening sounds of the amped spectators. Engines revved, exhaust roared, bass thumped, and Colby was entranced. She began to notice that every member of Dom's family played some role in this well orchestrated scene.

Naturally, a crowd had already begun to form around Dominic, their fearless leader. Everything seemed to revolve around him from the moment he arrived. He was here to take back his rightful place as street racing idol and it became obvious that he could be accepted back with open arms no matter how long it'd been since his last race.

Never far behind him was his beautiful yet menacing trophy, Letty. She was currently shoving her way through the ever expanding mob that surrounded Dominic. Contrary to her outward appearance of boredom and hostility, Letty loved being part of this late night world and having the status that came with being Dominic's girl. However, at the same time it was abundantly clear that she dreaded all the unwanted female attention that her significant other was about to receive. It was a commonly known fact among most of the racer chasers to keep their distance because she would not hesitate to pounce on anyone that dared invade her territory.

Jesse was studying something intently under the hood of Dom's RX-7. His nickname was the Mad Scientist for a reason. It was his duty to deal with the intricate inner workings of the car to maximize its performance. He seemed to be at total peace as he did this task, losing all traces of his usual jitteriness.

Vince was nearby supervising Jesse and keeping an eye on the people scurrying around. He served as crowd control, diligently ensuring that no unwanted admirers got near the team. Like Letty, he had a short temper when it came to these kinds of situations and would not hesitate to go off. He scowled at nearly everyone that came too close to his personal space, unless they happened to be attractive females in tight clothes. He was only a guy after all.

Mia and Brian stood together next to the orange Supra watching with mild amusement as Dom worked the crowd. If Dom was the king of this scene, then by default Mia was the princess. People knew that she was Dom's little sister and was to be treated with nothing but respect. Every now and then someone would stop and chat with her about her brother's odds in the upcoming race. Occasionally, the few that knew her outside of the racing world would ask about Maddy, which was a topic Mia was more than willing to discuss. Brian, who had once been an outsider, was now recognized as part of Dom's little crew and was easily engaged in conversation when approached.

Leon stayed close to his Skyline and served as the lookout. He was a valuable part of this game. He had the job of monitoring the police scanners and making sure that the team didn't caught doing anything illegal. At this particular moment he was conversing with his newly acquired younger brother, Sean, about the location of tonight's race.

Sean was a prodigy. He had worked his way up the ranks in Tokyo to become the Drift King, so Dom knew that Sean had the potential to be a valuable part of what he had going on here. The rest of the team liked him and considered him one of their own, but nobody had seen him in action yet. They were anxiously awaiting that moment where he would unleash his skills and blow them all away.

Colby had been so busy scanning the vast expanse of multicolored racing machines and studying the team in their natural habitat that she almost didn't notice that Vince was now standing next to her.

"Stay close to us," Vince's gravelly voice whispered in her ear. "Some of these people can be really brutal to tourists...especially chicks."

His friendly warning caused Colby to have a startling revelation. The other race fans had yet to associate her with the team. To them she was just another tourist. She'd have to figure out a way to earn her keep just like everybody else.

Instinctively, she followed Vince into the mob, staying unnaturally close to his side. She could feel dozens of eyes on her. Vince seemed to ignore the crowd completely as they made their way toward where Dom and Leon now stood deciding on a definite location. Before she could reach her destination, she was being herded back to Sean's car and onward to the main event of the evening.

* * *

A few blocks way, Colby watched along with the rest of the team as Dom effortlessly took down his three rivals. She was in awe of his natural skill and couldn't help bouncing up and down with excitement was he crossed the finish line first.

Another mob formed around the winner and his car after the race for a proper congratulation while the losers snuck off into the night. He kept his distance from them allowing only Letty to get close. In a quick motion he gently cupped her face in his hands and kissed her in an adrenaline induced display of passion. Colby didn't know wether to keep watching, envious of the intensity, or look away in embarrassment from witnessing what should have been a private moment. She found humor in the disgusted expressions that most of the female population was giving the couple. Everything had gone according to plan, and Dom regained his throne.

After the excitement died down a bit, Sean lead Colby back to his car so they could head back to the Toretto house for the after party. He was holding the passenger door opened for her when a guy walked up.

"A domestic huh," the guy observed a bit condescendingly. "Whatcha runnin' under there."

Sean just smiled and closed the door as soon as Colby was safely inside. Without a word he popped the hood and reveled an immaculately polished Nissan engine. The guy looked a little shocked.

"Think you can take me," the nameless guy asked, pointing at his Civic.

Sean laughed. "Are you serious?"

The guy appeared offended. He flashed a roll of cash at Sean. "Does this look like I'm serious?"

By this time, the team had come over to see what was going on along with a few stragglers. "I only race for pinks," Sean informed.

This prompted the stranger to pull out another wad of cash. "Three grand or nothing."

"Make it four and he's in," Dom's voice suddenly boomed. This got everyone's attention. "I pick the place."

"Fine." The guy muttered, clearly not willing to back down in front of Dominic.


	15. Something to Prove

Sean was overjoyed when Dom lead the small convoy of cars to an abandoned parking garage.

"Are you sure about this," Colby, who had been silent the entire way, suddenly asked. She eyed the surroundings warily.

"You're not afraid I'm gonna get hurt are you?" Sean grinned crookedly.

"Maybe a little," she admitted.

"Thanks for having so much faith in me," Sean groaned sarcastically.

Colby leaned over and pressed her lips to his. "Good luck," she whispered before exiting the car.

She went over to where the others were gathered and slumped against the side of Leon's car.

"Relax Smash," Vince joked. He was clearly referring to Colby's little accident earlier that afternoon. "Sean knows what he's doing...I think."

A barely clothed girl stood between the two staged cars. Her arms were up in the air as she counted down.

"Three." The Civic's engine revved.

"Two." The Mustang's engine roared in response.

"One." The girl's arms fell down at her sides and the two cars sped off the line. The squeal of tires filled the confined space. Colby tensed as she watched them race straight ahead toward a solid concrete wall with insane speed. There was an audible gasp from most of the crowd as Sean turned hard to the right, narrowly missing a collision with the wall, and drifted up the ramp to the next level. His opponent chickened out at the last second and slammed on the brakes. He angrily jerked the wheel toward where Sean had disappeared and accelerated. Still, determined to catch him.

Everyone made a mad dash for the elevator so they could catch the conclusion of the race on the roof top. Vince made sure that Dom, Letty, Leon, Jesse, Mia, Brian and Colby were inside before he allowed the doors to shut, leaving everyone else behind to fend for themselves.

They hurriedly spilled out onto the roof as soon as the doors opened back up. The sound of the two cars battling it out somewhere below was getting louder. Soon Sean came flying up the final ramp and skidded to a halt just as the next elevator load of spectators arrived. Cheers erupted from the team as they rushed over to their new golden boy.

Nobody seemed to notice that the other driver had made it to the top and was now out of his car and stalking over toward Sean.

"I don't know what the hell that was, but I'm not paying you shit!" The guy shouted furiously at Sean.

"Like hell you're not," Sean said trying hard to maintain his composure.

Unexpectedly the man took a swing at Sean. Sean of course retaliated by striking him in the side of his face. This only pissed the guy off more and he lunged at Sean, attempting to tackle him. Sean was able to dodge his attack and the guys decided it was time to step in before things really got out of hand. Mia pulled Colby away from the unfolding scene while Letty waited near them, ready to throw a punch if the opportunity arose.

Dominic grabbed the back of the stranger's shirt, pulling him to his feet. "Give him his money."

"Go to hell you has been," he spat, squirming to get out of Dom's grip.

Letty and the others saw a flash of hatred in Dom's dark eyes. The crowd fell silent as he gripped the back of the other man's neck. When he spoke again, his voice came out firm and even. "I'm telling you one last time. _Give_ _the_ _kid his money_."

"Okay. Here," he winched in pain as he pulled out the money from his pant's pocket. "Now let me go."

"Letty," Dom called, his voice tense.

Within seconds she was at his side looking at him expectantly. "Four grand, make sure it's all there," he instructed.

She took the money from the jerk's outstretched hand and began counting. Soon she nodded to Dom, signaling that it was all there. The small crowd around them murmured quietly waiting to see what would happen next.

Dom released his captive and pushed him toward his Civic. "Get out of here and don't let me catch you around here again."

"That's right!" the crowd began to roar as the wannabe ran for his car. Some of them began throwing empty bottles, and whatever else they could find, at the retreating car. Colby got a taste of what Vince had meant about their brutality.

* * *

Back at the Toretto house people danced and drank as usual, but tonight they surrounded Dom and Sean waiting to be acknowledged.

Vince slapped him on the back, "That was about the craziest shit I've in awhile. How in the hell did you learn to drive like that?"

"Sean, hear me out on this. I think I've figured out a way to...uhh...SHIT! I totally lost it," Jesse began, living up to his nickname, then his A.D.D. cut him off.

"How bout ya'll step away from my little brother and give him some room," Leon laughed, handing Sean a beer.

Colby took a sip of her Crown and Coke while she watched from across the room as people came up to Sean repeatedly. He would pause every now and then to look over at her and grin as he rolled his eyes. She'd smile back keeping a happy facade, but she really felt a little left out now that Sean was in the spot light. She quickly got over it when Letty appeared next to her.

"You better get used to it. He's one of them now," Letty stated.

"Guess I need to be more territorial like you so I can make sure none of the hoebags get near him huh?" Colby asked quietly, trying hard not to slur her words. She didn't want to embarrass herself in front of Letty by being a lightweight. Letty, who had matched her drink for drink, was showing no obvious signs of being even remotely intoxicated.

Letty laughed. "I like the way you think. I can be your mentor."

Colby giggled, feeling drunk and a little bit better. Letty glanced at her with a hint of a smile knowing that she was getting close to being cut off.

"Well you survived your first night. Let me be the first to officially welcome you to our dysfunctional little family," Letty announced.

Colby's face lit up with pride. Letty left her and moved toward Dom.

"Come on," she ordered. "Let's go upstairs."

Dom looked at her, taken aback by her sudden demand. He smirked guiltily at his companions, who grinned back knowingly, before wrapping a muscular arm around her slim waist and practically dragging her upstairs.

Jesse, who was closest to the stairs, could faintly hear Letty sigh with pleasure as the bedroom door slammed shut behind them. This caused a goofy smile to creep onto his face. He was glad things were almost completely normal again.


	16. They Say Bad Things Come in 3's: Week 1

To those of you who have reviewed, I send you nothing but thanks. I am thrilled that you are enjoying the story and it means a lot to me that you take the time to leave such kind reviews. I need the feedback for motivation to keep going with it, so please don't stop. Also, thanks to those of you who have added me to your favorites and alert lists. It makes me happy :)

* * *

A few days had passed and Sean was still basking in the glory of his new fame. He was so deep in thought, that he almost failed to notice his mother waiting for him by the front door when he arrived home from school.

"Hi honey." She greeted him a bit too enthusiastically.

Sean rolled his eyes and muttered a 'Hello' as he walked past her.

"Please stop that. I need to talk to you." She began coughing as soon as her words came out. He really wished she'd quit smoking so much.

Sean turned and scowled at her. He was suddenly aware that she looked more frail than he remembered. His expression softened as he saw the pleading look in her eyes.

"Are you and your brother ever going to stop hating me?" She choked the words out, her eyes looking a little clouded, seeming sincerely upset.

Sean didn't know how to respond. He knew in his heart that he couldn't hate her. No matter how messed up she was and how angry she made him, she was still his mother. " I think you're being kinda dramatic. I can't speak for Leon, but _I_ don't hate you."

His words seemed to make her feel somewhat better. "Well, I was thinking that maybe tonight the three of us could have dinner. You can even invite your girlfriend if you want."

Hearing her refer to Colby as his 'girlfriend' embarrassed him a little. They had just kind of been together since they met and that seemed to be working just fine for them. However he did like the idea of everyone knowing that she was exclusively his. He mused about the fact that she was kind of his 'girlfriend' no matter how dumb the word sounded when he heard it.

"I'll even make your favorite," she went on. "Homemade chicken and dumplings. It used to be Leon's favorite, too."

This made Sean wonder just how much he and Leon really did have in common. He decided it'd be best to humor her. "Okay. I'll tell them."

She caught him by surprise with an awkward hug. She seemed appeased, so he made a hasty retreat to his room to change for work and figure out exactly how to pass along his mom's invitation to Leon.

* * *

Colby glanced up at the clock that hung above the massive entryway at the market. It was almost time for her to close up for the night and head over to Sean's for dinner. She snuck a quick peek outside to see if the black Mercedes was still parked across the street.

A wave of apprehension washed over her as she spotted it still parked in the same place it had been in for the past hour. She had yet to see anyone enter or exit the car and the windows were too dark to see if anyone was inside. She knew that she was probably just being paranoid. It was common for random cars to be parked in the street. This was the city after all.

She just couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched, so she gave in and called the garage. Dom answered on the second ring.

"DT Precision Auto Shop, this is Dominic," he rattled off.

"Wow," Colby laughed. "You sound so official."

"Ah, what can I do for you Miss Colby?" She could tell that Dom was probably smiling by the tone of his voice.

"Well." She didn't want Dom to think that she was being a coward so she chose her words carefully. "I was wondering if you could send someone over to help me lock up."

"Uh, sure. Sean and Leon already left so," he paused to think for a minute, "I'll send Vince."

"Sounds good to me." She hung up feeling better knowing that she wouldn't have to be alone much longer.

Colby moved over to the open entryway and pulled down the heavy iron gate that would block off the entrance yet still allow her to watch for Vince's arrival. She locked it securely in place before returning to her spot at the counter where she could finish her homework and have a totally unobstructed view of whatever might be lurking outside in the darkness.

She hadn't been seated too long when she heard the distinct sound of an import approaching. She looked up expecting to find Vince's Maxima parked outside, but instead she was surprised to find that it was someone else entirely.

The Civic guy that had caused so much trouble a few nights before now rattled the bars on the doorway.

"Can I help you?" Colby hoped she didn't sound as nervous as she was.

"Yeah. You can let me in." As he spoke, she found herself wondering if he recognized her. She took a minute to really look at him, just in case she ever needed to remember his appearance. Perhaps in a police line up.

He didn't appear much older than her and all in all, he was quite average, other than the fact that he made her completely uncomfortable. She was pretty sure that she'd never seen him before the other night, yet something about him was strangely familiar.

"Sorry. We're closed." She tried to sound confident, while praying silently that Vince would show up soon.

"Oh come on. I'm a paying customer." His tone was becoming more threatening, or maybe she was imagining it. She couldn't be positive at this point.

"Sorry." She shrugged her shoulders innocently, hoping he'd take a hint and leave.

Apparently it worked, because he began to back off, but not before throwing in, "Tell your boyfriend hello for me."

Once Colby was sure he was gone, she covertly removed the cash drawer from the register and headed to the back to count it. When she turned to go, she was met face to face with Vince. A jolt of fear went through her and she gasped, nearly dropping the money on the floor.

Vince grinned back at her mischievously. "Somebody sure is jumpy," he observed.

Colby's right arm shot out instinctively and struck him in the chest. He simply laughed raspily in response to her failed attempt to injure him.

"Was that supposed to hurt?" He taunted her.

She huffed, relaxing a bit. "How did you get in here anyway?"

"I parked in the alley and came through the back door." Vince answered, still looking pleased with himself.

"You scared the shit outta me jerk." She was really trying to make him feel bad.

He was somewhat apologetic now. "Sorry." He paused and feigned a pained sigh. "What do you need me to do so you can get outta here quicker?"

"Well," she was cheerful now. "You could count this while I lock up."

"Fine. You talked me into it," he grumbled, taking the cash from her. "You really should have done that sooner. This isn't the _best_ part of town."

Colby was reaching up to grab the rope that would pull down the solid door when she caught some movement from the corner of her eye. She looked toward the movement and was met with dark eyes staring back at her from behind an expressionless, white, plastic Halloween mask. Within seconds the intruder's hand shot through one of the gaps in the metal grating and grasped her left forearm tightly. The hand began to forcefully pull her arm further through the gate. Pain surged up the length of her pinned arm. She struggled to free herself.

"Vince!" She squeaked out in panic when she was able to find her voice.

Vince heard Colby cry out for him. Something about the way she said his name let him know that she wasn't messing with him.

"Colby?" He spoke her name expectantly still not sure what he would find as neared her.

Her back was to him and she turned her head to look over her shoulder at him. Her face was drained of all color and she was leaning oddly toward the barred doorway. She watched him with wide eyes, filled with desperation and genuine terror.

He realized now that there was someone on the opposite side of the doorway pulling Colby's arm toward them, causing her obvious distress.

Vince was overcome with rage as memories of Letty lying in a puddle of her own blood on the garage floor flashed through his already clouded mind. He thought of how the entire situation could have been avoided if he hadn't been so irresponsible. He wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. Not when he knew that he had the power to stop this before it got any worse.

He was driven by pure instinct. Without giving it any thought, he grabbed a box cutter that had been conveniently forgotten on the counter and rushed to Colby's aid. He slashed at the assailant's hand, making dark red blood surface. This caused the masked attacker to release Colby's already swollen arm.

Vince protectively shoved Colby out of the way and sent the solid door clattering shut. A car could be heard peeling out on the other side of the now closed door.

"Are you okay," he demanded when he noticed her cradling her injured arm to her chest. She was stilled too stunned to realized exactly what was happening around her.

"Let me see," he said quietly. He reached for her arm as she extended it slowly toward him.

"It hurts. It feels broken." He was relieved to hear her finally speak.

"Yeah," Vince said, carefully leading her toward the back exit. "I think you're right."


	17. Week 2: Accidents Happen?

Letty stepped through the open office door and caught sight of Colby leaning over Dom's messy desk. She watched as the younger girl neatly stacked papers despite her broken arm. Colby had been wearing a hot pink cast that covered the lower part of her left arm from hand to elbow for almost a week now.

They were still unsure who Colby's attacker had been and why she'd been chosen. She had told them the night's events with as much detail as she could recall. There were two parts of her recollection had peaked everyone's interest. The Civic guy and the mysteriousall the while Mercedes. Had either of these elements been involved or was it all just coincidence?

Sean wasn't taking any chances. He had insisted that Colby work in the garage, where she'd be completely safe. Dom, not wanting to upset his prodigy, had agreed and put her to work doing all the things he didn't want to. Organizing the office was one of them.

"Hey," Letty said quietly, trying not to startle her. Colby had become easily spooked since her encounter at the market. She and the usually grouchy Vince had also managed to become significantly closer since that evening. There was quite a bit of hero worship going on there.

Colby abruptly stopped what she was doing and greeted Letty with a radiant smile.

"I have a very large shopping list. Think you can handle it?" Letty inquired.

"Sure," Colby responded, awaiting further instruction.

"Okay, I need you to go to the Racer's Edge and tell Brian we need all this," Letty commanded, reaching into her back pocket and pulling out a neatly folded sheet of paper.

Colby plucked the list from Letty's finger tips and began reviewing it.

"Brake pads and rotors. Calipers," she muttered to herself as she read. When she came to the end, she assured Letty she'd take care of it.

"I've got nothing but faith in you," Letty laughed as she left the small room to resume work on her latest project.

* * *

Colby was overjoyed that Letty had intrusted her with such an important task. She was almost out the office door and on her way when the shop phone began to ring. She hurried to answer it and soon found herself summoning Dom.

"Who is it?" He sounded slightly annoyed when he joined her.

"Someone from Maddy's daycare."

Dom sighed heavily and took the phone from her. "This is Dominic. What can I do for you?"

Colby decided to wait until his conversation was over to go in case he needed her to take care of anything else while she was out. She lingered in the office, trying not to eavesdrop.

"You couldn't get in touch with my sister or her husband?" Colby overheard him say to the person on the opposite end of the line. "Well can't I send someone over to pick her up?"

"No, no. I understand. I'm on my way," Dom sounded frustrated as he slammed the phone down on its cradle.

"Is Maddy okay?" Colby asked, ignoring Dominic's apparent aggravation.

"They said she got sick and since Brian and Mia are nowhere to be found, I have to go get her."

"Oh. That sucks." Colby observed lamely.

He retrieved the parts list from Colby before he left, explaining that he'd kill two birds with one stone. He planned to take the delivery truck Brian had specifically left at the shop for their personal use to bring Maddy to the store and pick up the parts in one trip.

* * *

Letty directed her attention outside when she heard the Lightening's engine rumble to life. She noted that the sky had become overcast and was rapidly approaching a nasty shade of dark gray. She hurried outside to her car, hoping to roll up her windows before the impending rain made its debut.

When Letty momentarily took her eyes from the sky to open her car door, the noticed an envelope on the driver's seat. The wind picked up a bit and thunder boomed in the distance as she bent to pick it up. Her name was scrawled across the front in Dom's messy handwriting, and she found that it felt a bit heavier than she had anticipated.

Letty eagerly lifted the envelope's flap and began emptying the contents into the palm of her free hand. She nearly lost her composure when Mrs. Toretto's, antique style, white gold, diamond solitaire, engagement ring tumbled out. She clasped it tightly, as she read the note that had accompanied it. Her eyes became blurry as she read the words that simply said: 'I'm not going anywhere.'

She was suddenly overcome with a flood of emotion as she slid the ring onto her left hand where it belonged. She looked toward the street, suddenly aware that Dom hadn't left yet. He was waiting patiently in the truck for an opportunity to turn onto the roadway.

Letty caught a glimpse of his reflection in the side mirror. Their eyes met and she realized that he must have been watching her the whole time, because he appeared extremely pleased by her reaction.

She rolled her eyes at him playfully, trying to give off an impression of indifference, but he saw right through it. She could clearly see him burst out laughing as he drove away.

Letty practically skipped across the concrete, feeling totally lighthearted. She was almost inside when she heard it. The sound made her freeze.

It was the intense sound of a metal on metal impact that caused her to halt. Her enthusiasm was replaced with an appalling sense of alarm. Before her mind even had time to register what her body was doing, she was at the foot of the driveway trying to get her eyes to make contact with the source of the offending noise.

Letty's body started to ache with despair as the sight of the two twisted lumps of metal in the intersection just a block or so ahead confirmed her apprehension. What had once been a red truck and a black car were now crudely joined.

She stood paralyzed for a matter of seconds before she cried out his name. She forced her body to move forward despite the fact that it didn't want to cooperate.

She hadn't made it far when a firm arm wrapped around her slim waist, pulling her back. Her head twisted around to see who dared try to keep her from rushing to Dom. She was confused to see Sean behind her. Apparently he had heard the wreck too, or maybe just her shrieking. He studied her cautiously, looking just as tortured as she felt.

"LET GO OF ME!" Letty growled. Sean recoiled from the venomous tone of her voice, yet never lost sight of the pleading look in the cloudy eyes.

She spoke more weakly as her breaking point neared. "I have to help him."

Sean shook his head and gripped her more tightly, unable to find words that might ease her sorrow. He forced himself to avert his attention from her sudden shocking pale face. Instead he focused on Leon, Jesse and Vince, who were racing down the street on foot toward Dom's mangled ride.

* * *

Colby stood a few paces away from Sean and Letty dialing 911 on her cell. After she'd managed to inform the dispatcher of their situation, a certain sick little girl crossed her mind.

Colby hurried inside and started rummaging through the papers on Dom's desk where she came across the number for Maddy's daycare. She relayed the same information that she 'd given the dispatcher moments before, to the woman who answered.

After Colby finished speaking, it was the lady's turn and she sounded very perplexed. "I'm very sorry to hear about Mr. Toretto's accident. I'm a bit confused by your call though. I'm in charge of notifying the parents in case of emergencies, and I can assure you that I didn't call. Maddy is just fine."

"What?" Now it was Colby who was having trouble figuring out what the hell was happening.

"I'm trying to tell you that I didn't make that call. Maddy isn't sick. She's actually napping right now."

Colby thanked the woman for her time and hung up. She took a moment to digest what she'd just been told. It was a very suspicious series of events. She was abruptly struck by a theory that whoever had called for Dom had set him up. Which meant maybe this accident, hadn't been an accident after all.


End file.
